Reiterating that 2012 will be the final year of his pro career, Oscar Freire is aiming to go out in style with the Katusha team and notch up some significant wins. The affable Spaniard will target the world road race championships once again, where he has a chance to take what would be a record fourth Elite title, and also the Olympic Games in London next August.
“I think this is also a really nice goal,” he told RaboSport, speaking in a video interview about the latter competition. “To be in the Olympics is nice. It will be my fourth time…it is not easy to be four times in the Olympic Games, maybe I am the only one as a rider to have a chance to race the Olympics [that much]. It means something about a long career and a good level.
“We will see [how it goes], it is a good objective but we also have more races.”
The 35 year old Spaniard is reaching an end to his time with the Rabobank squad, his impending departure drawing to a close a nine year period where he took some of the biggest races in the sport. His third rainbow jersey came during the nine year period in the Dutch squad, as did his three victories in Milan-San Remo and Brabantse Pijl, successes in the Vattenfall Cyclassics, Gent-Wevelgem, Paris-Tours and Tirreno-Adriatico, three of his four Tour de France stages plus the Maillot Vert, and five of his seven career Vuelta stage wins.
However 2011 was a quiet one in many ways. He took just two wins, netting stages of the Vuelta a Andalucia. Another win was denied to him when he was disqualified after crossing the line first in the Vuelta al Pais Vasco; his team-mate Luis Leon Sanchez pushed him forward in the sprint and while he was clearly stronger than Lampre-ISD's Francesco Gavazzi, the latter was handed the win.
Lacking many world ranking points, Freire’s contract negotiations broke down with Rabobank and led to frustration with how he felt he was treated. Still, he recognises that there were plenty of good times too during his long period there.
“It is almost all of my career as a professional,” he said, looking back. “I think I did really good in this team. As a rider [I did] my best performances, but now it is different.
“This year was not a good season, I didn’t race the Tour de France, then I was sick in the Vuelta and the season was over. Now I hope to be better next year and I would like to finish my career [performing] like I did before.”
See more in the interview below. Video courtesy of RaboSport.